Thank you all for the feedback. Boeingguy1, how did you get from Zagreb to Split? Splitting the stay is an interesting idea I hadn't thought of.

 

There are approx. three flights a day (with fares as low as $50-60 one way), two trains, buses every hour (about $30 for the five-six hour trip) and with a rental car it's about four hours (gas & tolls will cost about $100 plus the rental). If you're on vacation (or would consider talking a weekend after work), Split is well worth seeing. So is Dubrovnik but for that you pretty much have to fly since it's three hours beyond Split by car. The LM Split is seven kms south of town and although very nice as a hotel, a little out of the way for seeing the center. Same with the Sheraton south of Dubrovnik.

 

We took a Croatia Airlines DH8 down to Split. Quick ride (40 mins) and cheap fare ($60 USD) when bought in advance. Since we were flying in/out of ZAG, we rented a car and drove back from SPU through what I can honestly say is one of the most beautiful drives i've ever taken. PS - Split is a wonderful city to spend some time in, and is also a good launching point if you want to see the islands (lots of ferry options).

You can't lose really - Croatia is beautiful from the air or on the ground. Enjoy your trip!

 

Opted for this hotel instead of the Westin because it was recently renovated. Spent 2 nights here but unfortunately for us, it was the same 2 nights that Jeff Sessions (Attorney General for US) was in town for some sort of conference. Hotel was full of police and security officers wearing their black suits and ear pieces. Very annoying.

I ended up doing a points stay as it was much better value than my BRG. First night was a basic room for 4000 points and second night, had to pay 5500 points for a Classic suite. I applied SNAs to both nights and neither cleared. Hotel offered to let me buy up to Classic Suite for the first night for 300 Euros the day before arrival. I declined. Upgraded to larger room on Executive floor at check-in, but hotel was sold out by then. Changed rooms for the second night to a very poor excuse for a suite. No door to separate the bedroom from the living room, but that's understandable given that there was only one small window in the living room with a view of inner courtyard. Nothing in the bedroom!

Breakfast was meh. Large crowds of tourists make breakfast a bit of a zoo and service was very poor. For example, ordered tea was given a tiny cup which needed to be refilled after 3 sips. Impossible to get a refill. Had to give up welcome amenity for the buffet breakfast.

Platinum recognition was weak. No lounge, no complimentary beverages or even discount coupons. Welcome gift was some cookies and a bottle of water with 2 wine glasses. Also 2 apples and a banana.

Front desk staff was pleasant.

Uber was 110 kuna to/from the airport.

 

My recent four night stay at the Sheraton was perfectly.

The location isn't 100% but it's pretty darn close. Zagreb is also an easy walking city which helps and taxis aren't expensive.

As a top tier member I was upgraded to the entry level suite which was a true suite with the bedroom separated from the living room. It included a three-seater dining table, two mini refrigerators and a wet bar. The bathroom had a shower/tub combo and the WC was accessible from both the bathroom and living room. Conveniently there are two USB charging ports either side of the bed. Inconveniently, power outlets are deactivated when you remove the keycard from the slot so you'll need at least two if you want to charge your devices when you're out of the room.

As there is no lounge, breakfast was served in the restaurant in the lobby. It was adequate, with an egg station, but nothing outstanding. Staff are polite and helpful and linen tablecloths are used. Juice is from a multi drink machine where you push a button for any number of juices or water. The orange juice was either significantly diluted or just plain cordial. Coffee cups are those horrible tiny things you mind a three star motel on the highway. Awful.

I had drinks in the lobby bar on a couple of evenings and prices were fine.

Concierge and front desk staff were helpful and polite.

The hotel seemed to be fairly popular with a couple of large tour groups coming through during my stay and it's also the layover hotel for Qatar.

 

Any more recent reports on the Sheraton? I gather from the comments above (from 2016 on) that the property might have received a light refresh, but not a full renovation. Is the consensus still that that rooms are OK but visibly tired? Thanks.

 

I was at the Sheraton for a two-night stay in March. Some thoughts:

• As a first-timer in Zagreb, I thought the location was perfectly fine - ten minute walk from the train station, and as the city is easy to navigate on foot I found that all the touristy stuff and the old center of town were well within a half-hour radius.
• Upgraded to a full suite with separate bedroom and living room, with five-fixture bath. Room was totally fine, but despite some modernizations like the bathroom and carpeting some of the furniture is quite old indeed.
• No lounge and no Plat+ amenities i.e. drinks vouchers. Rooms on the "executive floor" have access to a tray of cookies left in the elevator landing [first time I've seen something like that - I thought it was a rogue room service tray].
• Breakfast OR points. I found breakfast to be decently extensive with a good selection of hot/cold items.
• King Tomislav Restaurant, the hotel's fine dining option, is highly recommended. Great Croatian dishes in a wood-paneled dining room with pianist, and an extensive menu complete with wine pairings. Prices very reasonable too.
• There is an indoor pool, as well as sauna and relaxation area. The sauna is clothing optional, so I was caught off-guard when two men and a woman walked in completely nude. These facilities are also really showing their age.
• Service ranged from ok to surly - no overt friendliness, and interactions with staff veered from to-the-point to curt.

All in all, a good enough option that I'd consider again if my travels take me back to Zagreb, but temper your expectations accordingly as this hotel is no grande dame. For Hilton aficionados, there is a new and nice-looking Canopy property at the back end of the Sheraton.

khabah

 

Thanks. I’m sitting on a Canopy reservation at ~155€/night & wondering whether the Sheraton makes more sense. Cash rates at the latter are nuts (500+ €/night), but I snagged a points award for 17.5K/night. I have minimal status (Gold) with Marriott, so the lack of elite amenities doesn’t really bother me.

 

I stayed here recently as Platinum and since there hadn't been any post Covid updates I thought I would update this thread. Pretty much the previous reviews are spot on and nothing has really changed post Covid. I used some SNAs and was upgraded to an Executive Suite which is I think is the second from the top which is the Presidential Suite. Since I was travelling with my son we appreciated the extra space but it wasn't particularly luxurious. Still I was very happy for the upgrade. The location is decent about a 10 minute walk from the center of old town and a much easier walk from the bus terminal if taking the airport bus than the Westin. Also an easy walk to the train station. The breakfast was pretty meh. I am not particularly fussy about breakfast but this was a notch or two below what I'd expect for a hotel like this. It is a decent spread but limited choices (like only three cereal options, one fairly watery yogurt option, etc). My son who isn't a fussy eater and as a teenager will tear through most things put in front of him put aside the muffin he got because it just wasn't tasty. They also had a combination I hate with a buffet breakfast which is they serve you the coffee, you cannot serve yourself, the cups are small and the service is slow so you are constantly chasing them for refills. Overall for what I paid and the upgrade I got this is a decent choice in Zagreb and I got good value for sure on the room with the upgrade but the breakfast is very average. Overall a decent place to stay in Zagreb if the cash/points price is right. I haven't stayed at the Westin as it was more expensive and just didn't work for us since we were taking the airport bus both in and out (the Sheraton is any easy walk if you do hand baggage only like us).

 

This is slightly OT but the post immediately above mentions the pet hate of not being able to serve yourself coffee. At a recent Sheraton stay at Rhodes it was even worse, not only did you have to wait for the staff to bring you coffee, but you had to wait for them to bring you water also. This is a place where the temperature can be getting close to 30 even by 10AM

On the first morning I looked in vain for the water bottles/dispenser but was told by staff they would bring water to my table. I was travelling solo and it seems they just forgot about me. I had to remind them 2 or three times until they finally brought a tiny glass of water - a full fifteen minutes after I got my omelette. My throat was parched by this stage, so I knew I'd need more water than that and immediately asked for more water to be brought to the table - and of course they forgot that also. I could see the same servers happily spending time chatting to families sitting right next to me while my own orders went AWOL

On all subsequent days I brought a full 1.5L bottle of my own to the breakfast table.

The point about this mini rant is if you're going to prevent guests from getting their own water, juice, coffee etc, you need at least to ensure that service is absolutely efficient, which it certainly wasn't at Rhodes in my case.

 

Hello,

In few days I will be traveling to Zagreb for short stay. Which hotel is better option? I have booked Westin for 120$ but I am playing with idea to switch over Sheraton for extra 30$ (total 150$). Which hotel is better option?

Regards
DC10

 

Personally, I prefer the Westin. I stayed at both earlier this year. The interior there has been refurbished, and the views are really nice, especially if you get a high floor room. Sheraton looks a bit tired and more old school (surprising, since Westin is way older, and looks older on the outside). Location-wise, both are on the fringe of the city center, Sheraton is a bit more central as it's closer to the train and bus stations, but it really doesn't make that much of a difference.

 

Thank you for quick reply, then I will stick with Westin. Personally I think that Westin is still a bit more superb compared to the Sheraton from my experience.

 

Stayed in Sheraton in the middle of November, was a work trip so didn't care that much about the price, location was more important. As was said before, the hotel is a 15-20 mins walk to the old town, which is quite convenient. The rooms are pretty old and could really use some refurbishing, the service was really good though and to me the breakfast was pretty decent. Also the queen of Spain was staying at the hotel the same week, so one could say the hotel is up to the royal standards

 

Need to get two more nights in this year and looking at going to Zagreb - any thoughts on Westin vs Sheraton - Breakfast and location - lounge optional - happy to use breakfast amenity